I Won't Say I'm In Love
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Robin knows his best friend Regina so well or so he thinks until she switches up her usual order.


This was a prompt submitted to me by an anonymous user on Tumblr from a prompt post I reblogged:

"Just please be my best friend right now, and not the person I confessed my love to."

Set in an alternate universe with no magic or fairytale characters.

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Robin entered Granny's Diner, waving to the owner behind the counter. He didn't have to wait to be seated, he saw Regina in their usual booth. It was one they had occupied many times over the past few decades. While the two of them may have changed a lot during that time, the place hadn't. Mrs. Lucas, or as she insisted to be called, Granny, never wanted to update the place. She said it was a family place, passed down from generation to generation. Robin wasn't one to complain. After all the changes he had been through, it was good to have one thing that never would.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, sliding across from Regina.

"By now you have a grace period," she replied. Another tradition was their back and forth, though that day, she seemed distracted.

"Are you alright?"

Regina looked up. "Huh?"

"You don't sound yourself."

"I'm fine. Do you know what you want?"

"Same thing I get every day," he replied. He noticed she was actually studying the menu. "Are you getting something different?"

"I don't always get the same thing."

"Gina, you've been getting the same thing since we were 10 years old: poached eggs and a side of bacon. You were the only kid I knew that actually preferred their eggs that way but…"

Regina was looking at him, but clearly zoning out on his ramblings now. He was about to ask again if she was okay when Granny walked over.

"So, let me guess, the usual?"

"For me, yes," Robin confirmed. "Extra sugar in the coffee please."

"I'll have the pancakes," Regina said, handing the menu back to Granny.

Granny slid her glasses back up to her face. "Pancakes?"

"And a cup of tea, side of lemon, please."

"For the past 20 years…"

"Sometimes things change," Regina interrupted.

Granny raised an eyebrow but walked away. She returned not long after with their hot beverages, still side eyeing Regina as she went onto the next table. Robin carefully stirred cream into his coffee as he kept his eyes trained on his best friend. They met up for breakfast twice a week, dinner as well, if they had the time. She worked for the town's mayor while he had his own construction company. They always made time for each other, no matter what happened.

"Regina, what is going on with you this morning? Did Fiona say something to upset you?"

"You know good and well I don't let that pesky woman get inside my head."

"Then what?"

"I'm fine. Like I told Granny, sometimes things just change." She realized he wasn't going to stop staring at her and let out a long sigh. "Have you ever realized that you have feelings for someone, but know they're never going to feel the same?"

He had. The object of his affection sat directly in front of him, squirting lemon into her tea. He had feelings for Regina ever since they returned from college. There just seemed to be something about her. He had spent so long telling the guys that it was possible for a guy and girl to be friends without anything more. Maybe that was true, but not for him and Regina, at least in his mind. He had spent the last 8 years trying to ignore those feelings. He was convinced that she was never going to feel the same.

This only confirmed it. She had feelings for someone. He started to wonder who it was. Probably the mayor's son. He was rich, he could give Regina everything that she deserved and more.

Robin realized he hadn't answered her question, so he cleared her throat. "Yes, I have."

Regina bit her lip, looking nervous. "Would you ever consider telling them?"

"I wish I had…before it was too late."

She nodded. "Robin…I love you."

"Yeah, I love you too, Gina."

"No. I mean, I love you, not just as a friend. I'm in love with you."

Robin blinked a few times, wondering if he had heard her right. That's when he saw her cheeks were flushed and she was gnawing on her bottom lip more than ever. This wasn't some prank, this was real.

Before he could reply, suddenly bills were being slammed down onto the table. Regina got up, moving her purse over her shoulder before she walked briskly out of the diner. Robin sat there in shock, unsure of what to do at first. Suddenly, he felt a smack upside his head. As he rubbed it, he could hear Granny's voice.

"Go after her, quick."

He didn't have to be told twice. Robin got up and walked out of the diner, picking up his pace when he found Regina digging through her purse. He put a hand on her shoulder and she suddenly paused, shutting her eyes.

"Just please be my best friend right now, and not the person I confessed my love to," she whispered, it barely audible to anyone but him.

"I can't do that."

"I knew this was a mistake." She still refused to turn around and meet his eye. "We're grown adults and here I am, springing this on you."

"I didn't know you felt this way."

"That's why I called it a confession, idiot."

Robin smiled a bit, glad to see she still had her sense of humor. "Please don't be embarrassed."

"That's easy for you to say, you didn't just confess your love for your best friend."

"No, but I've wanted to for probably the past 8 years."

There was a sudden silence. Slowly, Regina turned around to face him. She studied his face, looking for pity or lies. She had known Robin a really long time, ever since his parents had moved to the states from the UK. She prided herself in knowing when he was being honest and in that moment, she knew he was.

"8 years?" She asked, softly.

Robin nodded. "8 years."

"But why didn't you…" She trailed off, realizing it. "I was with Daniel."

Another nod. "How long have you known?"

"I think a part of me has for awhile…but the past few months, I haven't been able to push it away."

Robin wasn't sure what to do. In the movies, they'd probably embrace and kiss. This wasn't a movie, though, it was real life. He didn't want to ruin the moment.

"I guess we're both idiots," she mumbled.

He chuckled. "No, I think we'd only be classified as such if we ignored how we felt any longer."

A small smile went across her face. "Are you saying what I think you are?"

"We could grab dinner, not how we usually do. Somewhere outside Granny's…like a date."

The smile didn't leave Regina's face and it seemed to be contagious to Robin's. "I'd like that."

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As always, prompts are accepted on my Tumblr accounts: just-an-outlaw and justanoutlawfanfiction!


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